For far too many, the past year of COVID and lockdowns has been the most heartbreaking in living memory. For that, I am truly sorry.
Nevertheless, there have been some positives which we shouldn’t forget about.
1. Lockdowns have had a positive impact on emissions and air-quality.
Before COVID, there were grave concerns over the environment, but lockdowns have had a game-changing effect on emissions, whilst, by necessity, our consumption of plastics has increased (PPE, takeaway packaging, etc). Hopefully, when restrictions lift, waste will reduce again and we won’t reverse the gains made in reducing our carbon footprint.
In a year of COVID, the Earth is healing.
2. We’ve been forced to embraced technology like never before.
Not only have we been forced into the virtual office through Microsoft Teams and Zoom video conferencing, but online shopping has also been fast-tracked into our daily routine. Technology is no longer the domain of the geek, it’s now gone mainstream.
So, thanks to COVID, the hover cars and apartments on Mars just took a big leap forward.
3. Vaccine development and the world of medicine have progressed at pace.
On December 11, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use authorization (EUA) for a vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine
That’s quite astonishing considering the first cases were reported in Wuhan on 31st December 2019. I shudder to think what the outcome would’ve been if the vaccine rollout had been delayed by even 6 months through the summer and into the Autumn months. A lot of businesses, particularly in hospitality, wouldn’t have survived.
All this, of course, bodes well for future viruses and outbreaks. It really does look like we’re in safe hands.
4. Working from home is fantastic!
I know I’ve said it a few times already in the blog, but I love working from home! OK, it’s not an ideal situation with home-schooling (now hopefully a thing of the past), but taking out the daily commute gives you so much more of your own time back to spend on the things you love doing, or need doing around the house.
It’ll be a sad day when going back to the office becomes mandatory.
5. COVID and lockdowns have brought the community together.
You’d have thought the explosion of online shopping would’ve been to detriment of the high-street wouldn’t you? That’s true to some extent, as some of the big-name retailers have fallen (Debenhams to name just one), but, under COVID we’ve seen the re-birth of the start-up, the small, community-serving business, the milkman, fresh fruit and vegetable, home-made cakes delivered. Some have had no choice, they’ve lost their job so have nothing to lose, so good on them.
Then, of course, there’s a positive impact on the community in general. Clap for carers at 8 pm every Thursday. Neighbourhoods now have a shared problem to discuss, to tackle together. We’re definitely all in this together and we’re so much stronger for it.
6. The Pace of life has slowed down.
With more time on our hands, and lockdown’s restricting our movement, we’ve been forced to slow down, take a breath for once. I’ve been able to spend more time on the Guitar and Music., with the family, and on the Garden and DIY.
Previously? I was always on a mission with something to prove at a hundred miles an hour, but I wasn’t really getting anywhere. I was burning out.
That reset button has now well and truly been pushed.
7. Health
The first lockdown was a bit of a disaster health-wise with take-away comfort eating and an over-reliance on alcohol to cheer ourselves up. But things are a lot different for me personally at least in 2021, with obesity increasing the risk of COVID hospitalisation. On the whole, I would’ve hoped COVID has given us all a stark reminder to look after ourselves a little better.
The spring of 2021 really does feel like what it always was supposed to feel like: Renewal, hope, and looking forward.
8. Family and friendships.
COVID has reminded me of the value of family and friendships, and to never take them for granted. When this blows over, there’ll be the party to end all others but for now, I look forward to gatherings in the garden and outside the bar!
9. Perspective.
It’s been a welcome time for focus and reflection and, in the face of the most serious threat I’ve ever had to face in my lifetime, a sense of perspective in what’s really important. the truly BIG picture. The front-page news of pre-COVID days: the weather, parliament, even the EU, and Brexit all pale into insignificance next to a global pandemic.
We used to worry about some pretty insignificant things didn’t we?
10. And to conclude: Our way of life.
As a result of COVID, our very way of life has changed, perhaps for good, and hopefully for the better. Al-fresco drinking and dining, of the like common in continental Europe, is now becoming more popular in the UK. Businesses and entrepreneurs, risk-averse pre-COVID, now have little choice but to innovate to get ahead.
Our communities are closer, and we’ve more flexible options and modern tools for work and shopping to fit around the family and lives we no longer take for granted.
For me, COVID has brought back a balance to my life. Previously I was wrapped up in work, with my free time focussed on playing in a covers band. Now, I’ve got back into Karate, go for walks, look after myself in general, while still being able to focus on work, family, DIY, and the aspects of music and guitar I love the most: songwriting and music production.
For me, overall, COVID has had a positive affect on my life.
What are the positive ways in which COVID has affected you? Drop me a comment below.
